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In this paper, we develop and analyze a mathematical model for spreading malaria, including treatment with transmission‐blocking drugs (TBDs). The paper's main aim is to demonstrate the impact the chosen model for demographic growth has on the disease's transmission and the effect of its treatment with TBDs. We calculate the model's control reproduction number and equilibria and perform a global stability analysis of the disease‐free equilibrium point. The mathematical analysis reveals that, depending on the model's demography, the model can exhibit forward, backward, and even some unconventional types of bifurcation, where disease elimination can occur for both small and large values of the reproduction number. We also conduct a numerical analysis to explore the short‐time behavior of the model. A key finding is that for one type of demographic growth, the population experienced a significantly higher disease burden than the others, and when exposed to high levels of treatment with TBDs, only this population succeeded in effectively eliminating the disease within a reasonable timeframe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the changing Sudanese political landscape in the wake of the uprising, which toppled the Islamist regime in Sudan after 30 years in power. It provides an overview of various determinants that would propel shifts in the country's political map and the balance of political forces in any future democratic elections. The purpose of this conceptual study is to deliberate impact factors that will largely influence the Sudanese democratic political environment. These significant issues include the changing demography, decline of traditional forces, fragmentation of political forces, emergence of new actors and the loss of interest in political parties. The article is based on thematic review of these issues, and argues their dynamics underpin the contention upcoming electoral map in Sudan would be different. It discusses the potential scenarios in the political arena as a result of the ensuing impact of these factors. The fragmented electoral map could prompt continuous instability in the democratic system. The paper highlights the transitional period offers the prospect for energising the political forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the architectural and demographic dynamics of Jerusalem, examining public discourse to determine the presence of neo-colonial ethnic segregation and socio-spatial divisions. Furthermore, it aims to discern the underlying motivations influencing urban architecture and to identify challenges within Jerusalem's demographic and architectural frameworks. Approach of the study encompasses an extensive review of academic publications, news articles, and both qualitative and quantitative data. The study includes documentation and archival research published in both international and national journals. Significant focus is placed on studies from global and regional organizations such as UNESCO, ICOMOS, the UN, IPCC, the EU, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), UNICEF in the State of Palestine, and various urban delineation and conservation projects by TİKA across the Jerusalem (al-Quds) metropolitan region. The paper critically assesses the city's evolution into a space characterized by ethnonational divisions, heightened militarization, and increasing violence, which suggest a shift from an 'ethnocracy' to an 'urban apartheid.' Finally, this paper proposes transitioning from 'ethnocracy' to 'democracy' as a solution for achieving a truly modern and democratic Jerusalem metropolis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

However, the comprehensive exposition and discussions of the merits/shortcomings of proxies, methodologies, etc., should be regarded as essential reading for student and professional alike, particularly given the easy narrative writing style of the authors. They illustrate how settlement area may not be the best population proxy in all settlement scenarios (for Chifeng, although statistically significant, it is a comparatively poor proxy). Determining the best practice for elucidating settlement demography as an integral part of cultural reconstruction clearly requires thoughtful planning in the data-collection phase and an understanding of the differential merits of the material culture for meaningfully reconstructing the settlement landscape. [Extracted from the article]

Japan's low fertility rate has been a concern for over thirty years. Despite a vast literature on the topic, numerous policies and measures to boost the country's fertility rate, and the will of Japanese people to have a family, Japan seems powerless to remedy the problem commonly called shôshika in Japanese. Yet, Southern parts of Japan show that it does not equally affect the archipelago. Remote islands in Japan have an exceptionally high fertility rate compared to other developed countries. The paper aims to understand the reasons for their high fertility rate by focusing on late and lifelong singlehood (bankonka and mikonka) as a critical factor of the shôshika. It will particularly pay attention to the perception of love and romance in one of those remote islands: Tokunoshima. It will argue that the absence of commodification in romantic intercourse facilitates matchmaking that would result in the creation of a family. People are more likely to meet someone with whom they will have a family when the dating process is not embedded with commodified gestures. On another note, although their view of dating is similar to individuals in other developed countries, the practice of dating takes alternative forms that force them not to rely on the commodification of romance, which increases their chances of matchmaking. As a result, inhabitants of Tokunoshima quickly find a marriage partner, which contributes to the absence of late and lifelong singlehood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: In this paper, we investigated which socioeconomic and demographic groups first adopted digital primary care video consultations when they became accessible to the entire population in Sweden. Methods: We analysed data on all patients (378,000) who had a consultation with the largest provider of digital healthcare in Sweden – Kry – in the first years of national availability of the service, 2016–2018. We studied their income, education, demographics, and diagnosis backgrounds using matched registry data. Moreover, to compare users and non-users of digital primary care, we used data on all physical primary care users in one Swedish region: Skåne. Results: We found that this digital primary care was first used by young and higher-income adults, but not far from half of adult users had incomes below the national median. Digital care patients were more educated than the general population, reflecting that urban inhabitants were more likely than rural inhabitants to be users. First-generation immigrants were less represented among digital care users than in the population. However, second-generation immigrants with two foreign parents were slightly over-represented. The prevalence of some chronic diseases in pre-digital secondary (specialist and hospital) healthcare data among digital care users was similar to the population adjusted for age. Studying all physical primary care users in Skåne region, young digital care users had more primary care diagnoses and previous in-person primary care appointments than non-users, while the pattern was reversed for older users. Conclusions: When digital primary care became nationally available, younger, urban and more educated patients were the first to adopt the new technology. Regarding medical history, young users of digital care had a higher previous disease burden than young non-users, suggesting that these digital services were first adopted by young people with high primary care needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to explore 10-year trends in the use of Assistive Technology (AT). Using 2006 and 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data, univariate analysis were performed, and the rate of change was calculated. In both 2006 and 2015 data, a higher per cent of Blacks were using AT compared to Whites and Hispanics (p <.001); however, the rate of increase indicate that Blacks had the lowest per cent change (23.9%) compared to Whites (26.8%) and Hispanics (27.3%). Results indicated that AT use is statistically more prevalent in women, individuals who are not married (e.g. divorce, widowed, separated), the veteran population, lower educational attainment levels (e.g. some high school or less), lower income levels, the ageing population, unemployed (e.g. out of work, retired, unable to work) and individuals with limited functioning because of a disability. Similarly, individuals who have healthcare coverage, and individuals with concerns with medical costs used AT more. Even though most factors yielded higher utilisation rates when comparing 2006 to 2015 data, the rate of change had varying 'speeds' of improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we compared cancer patients preference for computerised (tablet/web-based) surveys versus paper. We also assessed whether the understanding of a cancer-related topic, pharmacogenomics is affected by the survey format, and examined differences in demographic and medical characteristics which may affect patient preference and understanding. Three hundred and four cancer patients completed a tablet-administered survey and another 153 patients completed a paper-based survey. Patients who participated in the tablet survey were questioned regarding their preference for survey format administration (paper, tablet and web-based). Understanding was assessed with a 'direct' method, by asking patients to assess their understanding of genetic testing, and with a 'composite' score. Patients preferred administration with tablet (71%) compared with web-based (12%) and paper (17%). Patients <65 years old, non-Caucasians and white-collar professionals significantly preferred the computerised format following multivariate analysis. There was no significant difference in understanding between the paper and tablet survey with direct questioning or composite score. Age (<65 years) and white-collar professionals were associated with increased understanding (both P = 0.03). There was no significant difference in understanding between the tablet and print survey in a multivariate analysis. Patients overwhelmingly preferred computerised surveys and understanding of pharmacogenomics was not affected by survey format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the role of registered nurses (RN) in ambulatory care, particularly in the U.S. Also cited are the changes in healthcare since the issuance by the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN) of its position statement on the issue in 2011 like the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, as well as the role of RNs as care providers, care coordinators, and care partners in the current healthcare setting.

Couple formation and assortative mating significantly influence societal structures, as marriages between individuals from diverse geographical or social backgrounds promote intra-family diversity. Understanding these patterns is crucial for grasping the demographic processes that shape contemporary societies. However, the scarcity of comprehensive data has impeded progress in this area. This paper aims to fill this gap by investigating assortative mating trends in the United States among birth cohorts from 1700 to 1910, utilizing data from FamiLinx, an online crowdsourced genealogical database. We focus on two primary dimensions: migration background (including natives, first and second-generation migrants) and age at marriage. Our analysis yields three major findings. First, we document significant changes in assortative mating trends over time, reflecting the dynamic nature of mate selection and its responsiveness to societal shifts. Second, we uncover substantial heterogeneity in assortative mating patterns across different social groups, indicating varying social dynamics and preferences. Third, we illustrate how these trends can be differently interpreted depending on whether the perspective is individual or familial. Additionally, we explore the advantages and limitations of using online genealogical data for historical studies of assortative mating, highlighting its potential for offering new insights while acknowledging the challenges posed by data quality and representativeness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age is an integral part of social interaction and identity but has been largely neglected in studies of early Christ groups. An understanding of the demography (the study of population patterns) of first century Roman cultures in the ancient Mediterranean is critical if one is to avoid, as much as possible, anachronistic and ethnocentric understandings of age in early Christ groups. Although average life expectancy at birth was low (mid-20s to early 30s), people did not expect to die young. This paper reviews ancient demographic evidence used to estimate life expectancy in the ancient Mediterranean (census data in papyri, funerary inscriptions, material culture and model life tables) and assesses Richard P. Saller's simulation of the kin universe (1994). Clarifying the implications of demography is critical for studying the rhetoric and realities of age in early Christ groups in their ancient Mediterranean settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutrition has played a central role in the management and outcomes of people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) since the 1970s. Advances in therapies and practices in recent decades have led to a significant change in the patient landscape with dramatic improvements in life expectancy, as well as quality of life, bringing with it new issues. Historically, cystic fibrosis was a condition associated with childhood and malnutrition; however, changes in patient demographics, nutritional assessment and fundamental nutritional management have evolved, and it has become an increasingly prevalent adult disease with new nutritional challenges, including obesity. This paper aims to describe these changes and the impact and challenges they bring for those working in this field. Nutritional professionals will need to evolve, adapt and remain agile to the wider range of situations and support required for a new generation of pwCF. Specialised nutrition support will continue to be required, and it will be additionally important to improve and optimise quality of life and long‐term health. Key points: Traditional cystic fibrosis dietary advice focused on a default high‐fat/high‐calorie intake with limited consideration for other important nutrients. The emerging new era approach should be individualised, flexible and with an emphasis on diversity and longevity.Historically, this population was predominantly undernourished or at risk of undernutrition, but with the success and impact of nutritional guidelines, multidisciplinary teams, screening and new therapies, overnutrition is becoming an increasing concern that requires attention.Significant improvements in life expectancy mean more people with cystic fibrosis are living into old age, bringing with it age‐related complications and new opportunities that require nutritional consideration from childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ethnohistory of the Colorado River delta has been substantively misunderstood, owing to the widespread neglect and/or misinterpretations of the writings of Francisco Garcés. In 1771, 1774, and 1775–1776, Garcés undertook three entradas into the delta, and wrote a series of valuable ethnographic accounts. Not only have Garcés's locations and routes frequently been misidentified by earlier scholars, his observations on agricultural production and population size have been ignored or marginalized, enabling misconceptions about delta historical demography and adaptation to flourish. The present paper seeks to restore Garcés's accounts, making his locations and ethnographic observation intelligible and interpretable, and to show how these can help resolve extant misconceptions. Part I focuses on some key texts, tying his locations to a master map. Part II focuses on ethnolinguistic groups and settlement sites, discusses the implications for a better understanding of historical demography and agricultural adaptation in the delta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disappearance of the social gradient in fertility represents a paradigm shift that has called into question the validity of theories that predicted a decline in fertility with increased access to education and resources. Emerging theories have tried to explain this trend by highlighting a potential change in the fertility preferences of more educated couples. In this paper we add additional elements to this explanation. Using a computational modelling approach, we show that it is still possible to simulate the weakening social gradient in fertility, in the context of steady declines in family size preferences. Our results show that one of the key drivers of the change in the education–fertility relationship can be found in the transition to an increasingly regulated fertility regime. As the share of unplanned births decreases over time, the negative association between education and fertility weakens and the mechanisms that positively connect educational attainment with desired fertility become dominant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key challenge in the management of populations is to quantify the impact of interventions in the face of environmental and phenotypic variability. However, accurate estimation of the effects of management and environment, in large‐scale ecological research is often limited by the expense of data collection, the inherent trade‐off between quality and quantity, and missing data.In this paper we develop a novel modelling framework, and demographically informed imputation scheme, to comprehensively account for the uncertainty generated by missing population, management, and herbicide resistance data. Using this framework and a large dataset (178 sites over 3 years) on the densities of a destructive arable weed (Alopecurus myosuroides) we investigate the effects of environment, management, and evolved herbicide resistance, on weed population dynamics.In this study we quantify the marginal effects of a suite of common management practices, including cropping, cultivation, and herbicide pressure, and evolved herbicide resistance, on weed population dynamics.Using this framework, we provide the first empirically backed demonstration that herbicide resistance is a key driver of population dynamics in arable weeds at regional scales. Whilst cultivation type had minimal impact on weed density, crop rotation, and earlier cultivation and drill dates consistently reduced infestation severity.Synthesis and applications: As we demonstrate that high herbicide resistance levels can produce extremely severe weed infestations, monitoring herbicide resistance is a priority for farmers across Western Europe. Furthermore, developing non‐chemical control methods is essential to control current weed populations, and prevent further resistance evolution. We recommend that planning interventions that centre on crop rotation and incorporate spring sewing and cultivation to provide the best reductions in weed densities. More generally, by directly accounting for missing data our framework permits the analysis of management practices with data that would otherwise be severely compromised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suicide is a critical public health issue in the United States, recognized as the tenth leading cause of death across all age groups (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). Despite the Islamic prohibition on suicide, suicidal ideation and suicide mortality persist among Muslim populations. Recent data suggest that U.S. Muslim adults are particularly vulnerable, with a higher attempt history compared to respondents from other faith traditions. While the underlying reasons for this vulnerability are unclear, it is evident that culturally and religiously congruent mental health services can be utilized to steer suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention in Muslim communities across the United States. However, the development of Suicide Response toolkits specific to Muslim populations is currently limited. As a result, Muslim communities lack a detailed framework to appropriately respond in the event of a suicide tragedy. This paper aims to fill this gap in the literature by providing structured guidelines for the formation of a Crisis Response Team (CRT) through an Islamic lens. The CRT comprises of a group of individuals who are strategically positioned to respond to a suicide tragedy. Ideally, the team will include religious leaders, mental health professionals, healthcare providers, social workers, and community leaders. The proposed guidelines are designed to be culturally and religiously congruent and take into account the unique cultural and religious factors that influence Muslim communities' responses to suicide. By equipping key personnel in Muslim communities with the resources to intervene in an emergent situation, provide support to those affected, and mobilize community members to assist in prevention efforts, this model can help save lives and prevent future suicide tragedies in Muslim communities across the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Radial neck fractures in adults are rare, but outcomes are often poor. Closed reduction and internal fixation (CRIF) technique has been advocated for the treatment of minimally displaced fractures in children, with a few reports on adult subjects. The aim of the present paper is to investigate mid-term results of a CRIF technique in adults with retrograde intramedullary K-wires in Mason's type II and III fractures. The proposed technique yields to good anatomical reduction of displaced neck fractures, faster rehabilitation, and easier hardware removal after fracture consolidation. Material and methods: A consecutive series of 17 patients were treated with closed reduction and intramedullary osteosynthesis, and outcomes were retrospectively evaluated. Elbow X-ray (XR) and CT scan were obtained preoperatively. Objective assessment before surgery and at an average 36-month follow-up included active and passive elbow range of motion (ROM). Functional evaluation was carried out through the collection of the Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS), the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) score, and Elbow Self-Assessment Score (ESAS). XR at last follow-up was evaluated. Results: The cohort included 10 males and seven females, with a mean age of 32 years. Patients returned for a follow-up evaluation at a mean of 36 months (range 6–43 m) form the surgery. The DASH score revealed good to excellent outcomes with a mean of 6.32 ± 10.24 points at last follow-up. The ESAS was 98.35 ± 1.89, indicating a non-restricted elbow function. Acceptable radiographic healing was achieved in all patients. Conclusions: The advocated technique is promising for obtaining good reduction and stabilization, and good to excellent satisfaction for patients. Given the challenging technique, the learning curve could be long and initial results unsatisfactory. More research with larger cohorts and improved study design could be carried out, comparing the technique with the current choice of treatment (ORIF, radial head resection). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In programmes of assessment with both high and low-stakes assessments, the inclusion of open-ended long answer questions in the high-stakes examination can contribute to driving deeper learning among students. However, in larger institutions, this would generate a seemingly insurmountable marking workload. In this study, we use a focused ethnographic approach to explore how such a marking endeavour can be tackled efficiently and pragmatically. In marking parties, examiners come together to individually mark student papers. This study focuses on marking parties for two separate tasks assessing written clinical communication in medical school finals at Southampton, UK. Data collected included field notes from 21.3 h of marking parties, details of demographics and clinical and educational experience of examiners, examiners' written answers to an open-ended post-marking party questionnaire, an in-depth interview and details of the actual marks assigned during the marking parties. In a landscape of examiners who are busy clinicians and rarely interact with each other educationally, marking parties represent a spontaneous and sustainable community of practice, with functions extending beyond the mere marking of exams. These include benchmarking, learning, managing biases and exam development. Despite the intensity of the work, marking parties built camaraderie and were considered fun and motivating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In China, the healthcare financing structure involves multiple parties, including the government, society and individuals. Medicare Fund is an important way for the Government and society to reduce the burden of individual medical costs. However, with the aging of the population, the demand of Medicare Fund is increasing. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the sustainability of the healthcare financing structure in the context of population ageing. Objective: The purpose of this paper is to organize the characteristics of population ageing as well as healthcare financing in China. On this basis, it analyzes the impact mechanism of population ageing on healthcare financing and the sustainability of existing healthcare financing. Methods: This paper mainly adopts the method of literature research and inductive summarization. Extracting data from Health Statistics Yearbook of China and Labor and Social Security Statistics Yearbook of China. Collected about 60 pieces of relevant literature at home and abroad. Results: China has already entered a deeply ageing society. Unlike developed countries in the world, China's population ageing has distinctive feature of ageing before being rich. A healthcare financing scheme established by China, composing of the government, society, and individuals, is reasonable. However, under the pressure of population ageing, China's current healthcare financing scheme will face enormous challenges. Scholars are generally pessimistic about the sustainability of China's healthcare financing scheme. Conclusions: Population ageing will increase the expenditure and reduce the income of the Medicare Fund. This will further affect the sustainability of the healthcare financing structure. As a consequence, the state should pay particular attention to this issue and take action to ensure that the Fund continues to operate steadily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-petitions constitute a promising method of increasing public participation and engagement in government processes. However, there is a lack of knowledge of why some government entities implement e-petitions, while others do not. Moreover, it is unknown why some organizations may receive many e-petitions while others receive relatively few. Thus, in this paper, we aim to fill these gaps by investigating the implementation and use patterns of e-petitions based on data from Swedish local governments. Through statistical analysis of data related to demography, economy, technology, and democracy, our findings unveil variations in municipalities' implementation of e-petitions and citizens' use of them. The results reveal that municipalities with a relatively large population and established modes of local democracy are more inclined to implement e-petitions than smaller jurisdictions. However, we also found that the number of incoming e-petitions per capita is negatively correlated with population size. Thus, the presence of institutionalized work structures related to local democracy is an important precursor for the implementation of e-petitions, while previous experience with communication technologies had a positive effect on the number of incoming petitions. In addition to these findings, the novelty of our study lies in the use of several official data sources to seek explanations for the implementation and use of e-petitions in local government. By doing so, this study has paved the way for similar research in other contexts. The paper concludes with implications for both research and practice as well as suggestions for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Too often, dementia research is conducted in research silos without thorough integration and the involvement of people with lived experiences, care professionals and the Third Sector. Research can also get lost in academic publications, without reaching those benefiting most from the evidence. The aim of this methods and evaluation paper was to outline the aims, components and evaluation of the public‐facing and ‐engaging Liverpool Dementia & Ageing Research Forum, to provide a blueprint for setting up similar communities of practice. Methods: The Forum was set up in 2019 with the aim to (a) connect different stakeholders in dementia and ageing and co‐produce research and to (b) inform and educate. This paper provides an account of the Forum model and evaluates the following key elements: (1) engagement; (2) experiences of the Forum and its impact (via an online evaluation survey and three reflections). All Forum members and attendees were asked to complete a brief evaluation survey about their experiences from October to November 2022. Three regular Forum attendees provided a case study about their involvement and its impact. Findings: The Forum has reached out to diverse stakeholders and the general public, generating growing interest and engagement since its initiation. Forty‐four members and attendees completed the survey. Most attendees completing the evaluation survey have so far engaged in between 5 and 20 activities (47.8%), and 91% felt the aims of the Forum have been met. Engaging in the Forum has produced various benefits for attendees, including increased research capacity and knowledge, as well as improved connectivity with other stakeholders. Eleven percent of respondents, 39% of lived experts, stated they experienced improved access to postdiagnostic care. Conclusions: This is the first reported multistakeholder Community of Practice (CoP) on dementia and ageing. We make key recommendations for setting up and running similar dementia CoP, as they provide a noninterventional format for raising awareness, capacity and access to dementia care. Patient and Public Involvement: This paper reports on the involvement and engagement of people with dementia, unpaid carers, health and social care providers and Third Sector organisations in a CoP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim and objectives. This education-focused paper presents a discussion of possible data sources used in patient safety issues specific to fall reduction in hospital inpatient care settings. Background. Although hospitals and clinicians in the USA have been implored to improve care and reduce events that harm patients (falls), studies to date have failed to clearly address the facility system-level factors for falls. Making meaningful approaches to modify risk factors is clearly overdue. Design. Discursive paper. Method. Possible data sources for answering patient fall-related research questions in hospital settings are categorised as: (1) archived hospital data, (2) surveys of patients/families/clinicians, (3) interviews and focus groups of patients/families/clinicians, (4) publicly available data sets and (5) published legal cases. The complexities of research in fall prevention are illustrated using the conceptual models. Examples were included to illustrate the use of these data sources. Discussion. Data-related issues include: (1) unit of analysis, (2) computer data processing capabilities, (3) merging data sets from different sources and (4) data abstraction, aggregation and data analytic techniques. Conclusions. The trend to use multiple data sources to answer research questions is gradually emerging. To demonstrate effective fall prevention efforts across hospitals, publicly available data sets can be reliable sources for analyses to inform policymakers about meaningful fall prevention programmes that result in positive outcomes. Relevance to clinical practice. Challenges to develop and evaluate any interventions to eliminate risk factors for falls often relate to selecting feasible interventions and whether staff members accept the interventions and adhere to adopting the intervention. Using multiple data sources with time factors to cross-validate the sufficiency of nurses' knowledge with their practice patterns may be more productive. This need further supports the importance of this paper about possible data sources used in the research on patient safety specific to fall reduction for adults in hospital inpatient care settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract 1. Colony survivorship and numbers of nest cells, pupae, and adult females were monitored throughout the nesting season for a cohort of 78 colonies of the paper wasp Polistes metricus Say. Thirty-nine colonies received a twice-weekly nourishment supplement of honey during pre-emergence and early emergence phases of the colony cycle; 39 colonies were unsupplemented controls. 2. Colony survivorship was unaffected by the supplemental nourishment. Loss of colonies to predation differed among three sites but was unaffected by supplementation. 3. Honey-supplemented colonies constructed more nest cells than did control colonies but this effect was not expressed until after supplementation had ceased. 4. Honey-supplemented colonies produced more pupae than did control colonies but the number of adult females at nests did not differ between supplemented and control colonies. Because honey-supplemented colonies had more offspring but fewer of them remained as workers at the nest, honey supplementation led to a lower frequency of workers and corresponding higher frequency of reproductives than in control colonies. 5. In a second year of study, colony survivorship and numbers of nest cells, pupae, and adult females were monitored from late pre-emergence until the end of the nesting season for a cohort of 32 colonies of Polistes metricus . In 16 colonies, trophallactic saliva was taken from final-instar larvae on nine dates in the late pre-emergence and early emergence periods; 16 colonies served as controls. 6. Saliva-diminished colonies had lower survivorship, fewer nest cells, fewer pupae, and fewer adult females at the nest than did control colonies. 7. These results show that variation in nourishment in the early to mid phases of the colony cycle can have significant effects on the subsequent colony demographics of Polistes metricus paper wasps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Many now claim that maintaining or improving the quality of life is the essence of healthcare (i.e. care and/or treatment that improves the patients’ quality of life). Interest in QL, however, stems from increasing recognition that individuals are an integrated whole rather than a series of disconnected parts or disease states. Though this represents a significant change from the past—when the emphasis lay solely on physical or medical condition—it is not, in itself, meaningful unless reliable and valid ways of evaluating the human aspects of the experience can be identified (i.e. quality of life). As quality of life (QL) is seen as a positive state, a desirable outcome of healthcare interventions, it has gained credence as an appropriate outcome measure and has intuitive appeal. Indeed, it is suggested that, because of its close relationship to mortality, self-perceived QL may be the most important outcome of both acute and, particularly, chronic disease. Lack of consensus about its meaning has, however, resulted in ambiguity and, therefore, difficulties in its measurement reflecting, in turn, the difficulty in identifying the components of this multifaceted concept. This paper explores these issues and questions whether we are, in fact, attempting to measure something that cannot truly be measured. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper, which is part of the research project Contemporary housing production: impacts on urban and socio-spatial reconfiguration in the Goiânia Metropolitan Region (RMG), developed with funding from the Research Support Foundation of Goiás (Fapeg), using post occupancy evaluation methodology, aims to understand how the municipality of Guapó stands out as a privileged location for the social production of housing in the region, as well as the impacts on the beneficiary population's way of life, urban well-being and access to opportunities. This project, which originated as an offshoot of a doctoral research (Borges, 2017), recognizes, as a research premise, the political role immanent to the projects offered by the Minha Casa Minha Vida Program (PMCMV), based on different ways of organizing housing processes, within the scope of socio-spatial inequalities alleviation. To this end, it presents as a case study the results of the research carried out with residents of Residencial Bandeiras, which stands out due to its size (640 housing units), in a small metropolitan municipality of 19,545 inhabitants, according to the 2022 Census (IBGE, 2023), located 37 km away from Goiânia (center), showing a new vector of social housing niche market towards that area of the metropolitan space. The interest in researching housing under the MCMV Program (level 1) in the RMG, within the scope of urban policy from the Applied Social Sciences and Humanities viewpoint, has both scientific and collaborative perspectives for social change and sustainable development for cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes, as its starting point, Preston and Haines' observation in Fatal Years that social class was the most important influence on infant and child mortality in England and Wales in the early twentieth century. A subsequent study suggested that this could in part be due to the spatial distribution of the different classes across different types of place, and that some of the mortality differences by social class might actually reflect the contextual effects of healthy and unhealthy places. Although this line of argument has received a considerable amount of attention in health geography literature, it has rarely been examined for a specific historic period, and then only within particular urban areas. In this paper, we apply multi-level models to a complete count individual-level dataset of the 1911 census of England and Wales, comparing influences on infant and child mortality at the level of the individual couple and for two spatial levels. We find that although most variation in infant and child mortality operates at the individual level, there is also important variation at the two spatial levels and part of the mortality differences between social classes is better explained by the areas in which people lived rather than by their social class. A consideration of independent variables at all three levels suggests that different spatial scales capture different sorts of influences on early age mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarizes the methods and approaches of using mobile positioning data to estimate and monitor urban population size. It starts with the necessity of using big data to monitor urban population size in territorial spatial planning. Then it elaborates on the difference between the definition of "population size" reflected by mobile positioning data and the common concept of urban population size, and the necessity of verifying the logic and measurement of sample expansion at four levels. Finally, taking Wuhan city as a case, this paper proposes the technical approach of monitoring the size of urban permanent population through multi-source data verification. The study finds that when it comes to monitoring urban population size, mobile positioning data have the advantage of monitoring short-period changes in population size and spatial distribution, yet special attention must be paid to the three technical links of definition, sample expansion and verification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Existing tools for rapid cognitive assessment in HIV-positive individuals with mild cognitive deficits lack sensitivity or do not meet psychometric requirements for tracking changes in cognitive ability over time. Methods Seventy-five nondemented HIV-positive patients were evaluated with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a brief battery of standardized neuropsychological tests, and computerized tasks evaluating frontal-executive function and processing speed. Rasch analyses were applied to the MoCA data set and subsequently to the full set of data from all tests. Results The MoCA was found to adequately measure cognitive ability as a single, global construct in this HIV-positive cohort, although it showed poorer precision for measuring patients of higher ability. Combining the additional tests with the MoCA resulted in a battery with better psychometric properties that also better targeted the range of abilities in this cohort. Conclusion This application of modern test development techniques shows a path towards a quick, quantitative, global approach to cognitive assessment with promise both for initial detection and for longitudinal follow-up of cognitive impairment in patients with HIV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights Professor Gavin Jones’ seminal work on Asian divorce patterns, with a particular focus on Southeast Asia’s Muslim communities. Beginning in the 1980s, Jones addressed the challenges of fragmented and often unreliable demographic data on divorce. With careful compilation and analysis of aggregate data, paired with firsthand surveys and ethnographic studies, he set a foundation for examining shifting divorce trends in Southeast Asia. His findings challenged prevailing ethnocentric perspectives and questioned the notion that modernisation invariably leads to rising divorce rates. Jones stressed the importance of understanding divorce within the broader social, cultural, and historical contexts of the respective societies. Beyond his individual research, he was instrumental in cultivating a community of scholars studying marriage and divorce in Asia and fostering collaborations. Jones’ insights into Asia’s demographic shifts have been invaluable, and his legacy will continue to influence demographers for generations to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we pay tribute to the late Emeritus Professor Gavin W. Jones and his outstanding contributions to the scholarship on marriage. Following a chronological assessment of his large body of work on marriage, we reflect on Gavin’s general approach to research changing marriage patterns within and across diverse regions of Asia. His approach to studying marriage went beyond the conventional demographic focus on examining shifts in age at first marriage. He showed how examining shifting patterns across different, yet interrelated aspects of marriage offered an important window to understand the broader complexities of economic and socio-political change in the region; showing why there is much more to demography beyond counting births, deaths, and migration. As two generations of demographers, we reflected how his work and approach to research continue to influence our research and engagement with the region. Gavin’s legacy extends beyond demography and Indonesian/Malay studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the strongest empirical regularities in spatial demography is that flows of migrants are positively associated with population stocks at origin and destination and are inversely related to distance. This pattern was formalized into what are known as gravity models of migration. Traditionally, distance is measured geographically, but other measures of distance, such as cultural distance, are also relevant in explaining migration flows. However, measures of cultural distance are not widely adopted in the literature on modeling migration flows, partially because of the difficulties associated with operationalizing and producing these measures across space and time. In this paper, we use a scalable approach to obtain proxies for measuring cultural similarity between countries by using Facebook data and illustrate the impact of incorporating these measures, based on food and drink interests, into gravity models for predicting migration. Our results show that, despite their limitations, the new measures of cultural similarity derived from Facebook data improve the prediction power of traditional gravity models and have a predictive capacity comparable to that of classic variables used in the literature, such as shared language and history. The results open up new opportunities for understanding the determinants of migration and for predicting migration when considering broader and complementary perspectives on the meaning and measurement of distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Korea and Thailand are two of the seven biggest destination countries for low-wage migrant labour in East and Southeast Asia. They face similar demographic patterns and labour market dynamics but are very different when it comes to their economic, political and geographical contexts. Despite these differences, they have pursued a similar approach to the regulation of low-wage labour migration by taking a more active role in managing the recruitment and stay of migrant workers. As a result, outcomes for low-wage migrant workers in both countries are better than those experienced by their counterparts elsewhere in Asia. This analysis of the low-wage visa schemes in South Korea and Thailand contributes to a more robust understanding of how these restrictive labour migration regimes can be structured to improve outcomes for workers. The paper argues that lessons learned from the regulatory approaches pursued in South Korea and Thailand should be applied in other destination countries in Asia and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the biological, socio-economic, and institutional factors shaping the individual risk of death during a major pre-industrial epidemic. We use a micro-demographic database for an Italian city (Carmagnola) during the 1630 plague to explore in detail the survival dynamics of the population admitted to the isolation hospital (lazzaretto). We develop a theoretical model of admissions to the lazzaretto, for better interpretation of the observational data. We explore how age and sex shaped the individual risk of death, and we provide a one-of-a-kind study of the impact of socio-economic status. We report an inversion of the normal mortality gradient by status for those interned at the lazzaretto. The rich enjoyed a greater ability to make decisions about their hospitalization, but this backfired. Instead, the poor sent to the lazzaretto faced a relatively low risk of death because they enjoyed better conditions than they would have experienced outside the hospital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ethnohistory of the Colorado River delta has been substantively misunderstood, owing to the widespread neglect and/or misinterpretations of the writings of Francisco Garcés. In 1771, 1774, and 1775–76, Garcés undertook three entradas into the delta, and wrote a series of valuable ethnographic accounts. Not only have Garcés's locations and routes frequently been misidentified by earlier scholars, his observations on agricultural production and population size have been ignored or marginalized, enabling misconceptions about delta historical demography and adaptation to flourish. The present paper seeks to restore Garcés's accounts, making his locations and ethnographic observations intelligible and interpretable, and to show how these can help resolve extant misconceptions. Part I focuses on some key texts, tying his locations to a master map. Part II focuses on ethnolinguistic groups and settlement sites, and discusses the implications for a better understanding of historical demography and agricultural adaptation in the delta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining a rural-urban balance is absolutely necessary in the context of the challenges related to food security and environmental protection as well as the perspectives of urban agglomeration. This paper highlighted the impact of the main events from the last 30 years on the rural population. This study used the vector autoregressive model (VAR) to investigate the estimates and analyse the dynamic impact of innovations on the system of variables. Key issues that influenced certain periods in the analyzed interval were highlighted, which clearly show the impact on the analyzed variables using variance decomposition. The cost of living in rural areas is increasing, so more and more inhabitants give up growing certain crops or raising certain animals, thus having to search for food to survive, leading to additional wage income to cover these costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Did love conquer marriage between the 19th and 20th centuries in France? Does a personal choice imply a free choice? To date, no study has had access to sources that are both numerous and sufficiently stable over the vast period of the 19th and 20th centuries to allow a comprehensive examination of the simultaneous emergence of the love marriage norm and its impact on spouse selection. This paper sets out specifically to explore the issues of spouse selection and the eco-intimate changes in marriages, highlighting the evolution of the love marriage norm, using the archives of matrimonial agencies and advertisements from the 19th and 20th centuries. While the writings of the time debated the merits of marrying for money versus marrying for love, the dating market was serving a bourgeois clientele in search of homogamy. The study of agency operations shows how these marriages first unite two families and two heritages from the same milieu. This good match is seen as a necessary condition for mutual affection. When, in the 20th century, matrimonial ads more systematically enabled individuals to search for their spouse themselves, without the help of their family, these economic stakes did not disappear, but underwent a significant evolution. They are now put on the same level as moral and physical criteria. While homogamy was still preferred, it was no longer considered the only condition for a happy union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Repeated claims that a dwindling supply of potential caregivers is creating a crisis in care for the U.S. aging population have not been well-grounded in empirical research. Concerns about the supply of family care do not adequately recognize factors that may modify the availability and willingness of family and friends to provide care to older persons in need of assistance or the increasing heterogeneity of the older population. In this paper, we set forth a framework that places family caregiving in the context of older adults' care needs, the alternatives available to them, and the outcomes of that care. We focus on care networks, rather than individuals, and discuss the demographic and social changes that may alter the formation of care networks in the future. Last, we identify research areas to prioritize in order to better support planning efforts to care for the aging U.S. population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The population of adults who neither have nor want children is large and growing. However, it remains poorly understood because its members can be difficult to identify in traditional demographic surveys, and existing research on the population uses a range of methods and terms. In this paper, we review current practices, then to bring a level of consistency and comparability to this literature, we propose a common framework for studying this population. First, we recommend that researchers use the term "childfree" to describe adults who neither have nor want children, because the term is short, widely used, and preferred by members of this population. Second, we recommend that researchers define childfree adults by neither having nor wanting biological or nonbiological children, recognizing that one's childfree status may change over time. Third, we recommend that researchers identify childfree adults in surveys using "want" questions (e.g., do you want children?), in combination with other questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The adoption and use of health information technology (IT) continues to grow around the globe. In Switzerland, the government nor professional associations have to this day provided incentives for health IT adoption.Objective: We aim to assess the proportion of physicians who are routinely working with electronic health data and describe to what extent physicians exchange electronic health data with peers and other health care providers. Additionally, we aim to estimate the effect of physicians' attitude towards health IT on the adoption of electronic workflows.Methods: Between May and July 2013, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1200 practice based physicians in Switzerland. Respondents were asked to report on their technical means and where applicable their paper-based workarounds to process laboratory data, examination results, referral letters and physician's letters. Physicians' view of barriers and facilitators towards health IT use was determined by a composite score.Results: A response rate of 57.1% (n=685) was reached. The sample was considered to be representative for physicians in Swiss ambulatory care. 35.2% of the respondents documented patients' health status with the help of a longitudinal semi-structured electronic text record generated by one or more encounters in the practice. Depending on the task within a workflow, around 11-46% of the respondents stated to rely on electronic workflow practices to process laboratory and examination data and dispatch referral notes and physician's letters. The permanent use of electronic workflow processes was infrequent. Instead, respondents reported paper-based workarounds affecting specific tasks within a workflow. Physicians' attitude towards health IT was significantly associated with the adoption of electronic workflows (OR 1.04-1.31, p<0.05), but the effect sizes of factors related to the working environment (e.g., regional factors, medical specialty, type of practice) were larger.Conclusion: At present, only a few physicians in Swiss ambulatory care routinely work with electronic health data. Until more of their peers participate in electronic exchange of structured clinical information, most physicians will continue to stay in paper-based systems and workarounds. The survey found that physicians with a positive attitude towards health IT were more likely to adopt electronic workflows, but the impact is minor. It will likely be necessary to introduce financial incentives and develop national standards in order to promote the adoption by a critical mass of practicing clinicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Society's demographic development holds great importance for all social processes: economy, education, science, culture, and others. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the various factors influencing the formation of demographic trends and understand their significance. This paper considers a range of sources influencing the formation of young people's attitudes toward family values, namely: the immediate environment, mass media, media content, literature, social surveys, social advertising, and propaganda, as well as bloggers as a modern element of media communications that has a fairly large influence on the young audience. The paper analyzes Russia's policy of the demographic problem, which is associated with the currently being implemented Concept of the State Family policy in the Russian Federation until 2025 (The Concept) aimed at strengthening and protecting the family as the fundamental basis of the Russian society. The paper presents the results of mass surveys among the Rostov region youth: (1) on the key points of the Concept the sample included 450 young people aged 20-29 and (2) on the youth's preferences for various types of mass media with a sample of 634 respondents aged 16-25. It was revealed that the core foundations of the family culture are sufficiently established in the Russian Federation with the dominance of the marriage relations as free, voluntary, and equal association of men and women, which is consistent with the state policy of support and development of family values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the security and safety of the polycentric functio-spatial structure of the city in the context of a pandemic. The research hypothesis is as follows: will the fear of the epidemic affect the manner of planning polycentric structures, reinforce local service concentrations and restore the commercial role of the city street? This paper presents a new outlook on urban security. Local service polycentricism is of particular significance. The problem was investigated based on original analyses of polycentricism and a definition that points to levels of understanding the notion of the centre while accounting for current theories and trends. The study discusses differences in the perception of polycentricism over time. On the example of the history of Cracow's development, the author analysed factors that affect polycentricism, such as: political decisions, suburbanisation and transport-related behaviour patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background There is a challenging lack of evidence to inform best practice in the routine clinical care of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Wide inter-centre variation in the definition and documentation of clinical data items is a major barrier to improvement. In response, we have developed a consensus agreed standardised core dataset called CAPTURE-JIA (n = 62 data items and a 'data dictionary' including agreed definitions of terms) designed to support routine collection of high-quality clinical data. The feasibility and acceptability of CAPTURE-JIA in clinical practice is not yet known and was the focus of this pilot study. Methods A purposeful sample of six paediatric rheumatology centres across England was invited to collect the CAPTURE-JIA dataset using paper collection forms (n = 20 patients/centre). The dataset was analysed for missing data. Six focus groups (n = 3-10) explored clinicians' views on acceptability and feasibility. Results One hundred and twenty-one patients were recruited over three months. The completeness of the dataset was similar across centres, with minor variations. The majority of data items (eg demographics, dates, ILAR type and examination) were >80% completed. However, 14/62 data items received >40% missing data. (Table 1) Further descriptive analyses highlighted incorrect completion of paper forms. Three themes emerged from the focus groups: problematic data items (missing from >10% forms at > 1 centre), format of clinician data forms and the role of digital data collection. Suggested solutions included minor changes to data item definitions and formatting. There were no refinements to the data items. Development of a digital data collection system was identified by all as essential. Due to a lack of clear consensus, the original CAPTURE forms included a number of ways to record joint count data. This proved confusing and a unanimous decision was taken to collect joint count data on all 83 joints in a tabular format. P10 Table 1: CAPTURE JIA data items with >40% missing data Data item  % forms with data item missing (if item required)  Relevant co-morbidities?  60  Macrophage activation syndrome?  100  Has the ILAR subtype changed?  50  Morning stiffness lasting >15 minutes?  42  History of any form of uveitis?  52  Date started uveitis mediation?  50  Strength of uveitis medication?  83  Counselled prior to new DMARD / biologic?  56  Enrolled in BECS/BCRD if new DMARD / biologic?  48  Joint count (homunculus or table format)  48  Physician assessment of systemic disease activity (VAS)  75  ESR  74  CRP  92  Plasma viscosity  100  Data item  % forms with data item missing (if item required)  Relevant co-morbidities?  60  Macrophage activation syndrome?  100  Has the ILAR subtype changed?  50  Morning stiffness lasting >15 minutes?  42  History of any form of uveitis?  52  Date started uveitis mediation?  50  Strength of uveitis medication?  83  Counselled prior to new DMARD / biologic?  56  Enrolled in BECS/BCRD if new DMARD / biologic?  48  Joint count (homunculus or table format)  48  Physician assessment of systemic disease activity (VAS)  75  ESR  74  CRP  92  Plasma viscosity  100  P10 Table 1: CAPTURE JIA data items with >40% missing data Data item  % forms with data item missing (if item required)  Relevant co-morbidities?  60  Macrophage activation syndrome?  100  Has the ILAR subtype changed?  50  Morning stiffness lasting >15 minutes?  42  History of any form of uveitis?  52  Date started uveitis mediation?  50  Strength of uveitis medication?  83  Counselled prior to new DMARD / biologic?  56  Enrolled in BECS/BCRD if new DMARD / biologic?  48  Joint count (homunculus or table format)  48  Physician assessment of systemic disease activity (VAS)  75  ESR  74  CRP  92  Plasma viscosity  100  Data item  % forms with data item missing (if item required)  Relevant co-morbidities?  60  Macrophage activation syndrome?  100  Has the ILAR subtype changed?  50  Morning stiffness lasting >15 minutes?  42  History of any form of uveitis?  52  Date started uveitis mediation?  50  Strength of uveitis medication?  83  Counselled prior to new DMARD / biologic?  56  Enrolled in BECS/BCRD if new DMARD / biologic?  48  Joint count (homunculus or table format)  48  Physician assessment of systemic disease activity (VAS)  75  ESR  74  CRP  92  Plasma viscosity  100  Conclusion Paper collection of the CAPTURE-JIA data items is feasible and acceptable in the routine clinical setting, but unlikely to be sustainable in the longer term if collected in duplicate with medical notes. A digital tool in the clinical domain, ideally interlocking with local systems, would offer many advantages, including more complete and time-efficient data collection. Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of studying the age and growth of the eastern slow worm (Anguis colchica orientalis Anderson, 1872) in the upper reaches of the Tangeru River (Astara district, Republic of Azerbaijan). Lizards (eight males and six females) were caught from March to August in 2011–2019. Their age was determined by the number of lines of arrested growth (LAG) on the cross sections of the tail vertebrae. Sections of the mandibular bone were also examined in three dead individuals. The number of lines of arrested growth on the mandibular bone sections and the caudal vertebra coincided. The studied animals ranged from one to ten years of age. The average age of males and females was 4.86 and 5.33 years, respectively. More than half of the males (62.5% five individuals) were 4–5 years old, and a third of the females (two individuals) were six years old. The life expectancy after the first wintering in females and males was 6.70 (S = 0.84) and 5.93 years (S = 0.82), respectively. It is noted that age determination by cross sections of the tail vertebrae in slow worms is possible and allows conducting studies on live lizards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fertility rates in Nigeria are declining at such a modest rate, that if more proactive measures are not employed to reduce fertility, the nation may double its population before long. We empirically examined fertility behaviour as derivatives of specific subgroup social norms, and the variations in the factors responsible for different fertility behaviours, using the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. Descriptive bivariate, and multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to predict the contribution of demographic and sociocultural factors contributing to the fertility level, and findings were reported as odds ratios. Results revealed that age, religion and level of education are the most significant predictors of fertility level, with remarkable differences in birth rate across subgroups, whereas North-West Nigeria had the highest fertility level. Furthermore, marriage had a significantly negative effect on high fertility among North-Western women, whereas higher education significantly increased high fertility among North-Eastern women. In conclusion, subgroup social norms fertility behaviour is responsible for the persistent fertility differential outcome in Nigeria. Thus, the paper strongly advocates the need to intensify community-led, norm-based solution and not a universal approach in addressing fertility control in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces the special issue Changing dimensions of lifestyle mobilities in turbulent times: impacts of COVID-19 outbreaks and multiple crises. It aims not just to understand the individual drivers and consequences of mobility but their interactions with local manifestations of spatial (in)justice in various meaningful places. This editorial synthesizes the four studies of population flows in proximate and remote rural areas in Europe, and puts their contributions to the fields of lifestyle migration and mobilities in context. We introduce the lifestyle migration hub meeting that inspired this special issue and a mobility spectrum around which the article revolves. We then indicate common interests of lifestyle migration and rural tourism geographies, focusing on the contributors' use of human geographic perspectives and aided by observations from ongoing ethnographic work about the demographic future of small villages in northern Sweden. A discussion of multiple disruptions, precarity and vulnerability is linked with a review of the papers before elaborating on destinations and communities as meaningful but vulnerable places. The conclusion outlines how concerns with people's and place's vulnerability and precarity in multiple disruptions to mobility flows can be further explored in cordial dialogue between scholars of lifestyle migration/mobility and tourism geography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The management of an adequate donor pool is a constant and challenging task for blood centers in order to provide blood supply. New methods are required to streamline processes and attract (new) donors on a sustained basis. We present a digitalization method without media disruption and show the impact on our donors and their behavior. Methods: We designed and created a blood donation app that is fully compliant to all regulations and conforms to donor expectations. The presented digitalization serves the donor from preparation before the donation (health questionnaire) until completion of laboratory testing (medical report). Many other features are included and continuously attract donors to engage with the blood donation topic. Results: Eighteen months after the launch of our app, there are already 45,000 users. The digital questionnaire reduced the number of deferrals by 31.9% compared to the conventional paper questionnaire. Digital adopters show a significantly shorter donation interval (193 days compared to 316 days). In-app incentives include identification card, rapid laboratory testing results (time-to-results are two business days for 95%), and collection of badges among others. Conclusion: The presented method has changed our donor pool. Besides that, medical staff benefits from the automated process that allows focusing on the donor and their admission. On the other hand, the app has become a valid tool to manage our donor pool and attract first-time and young donors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the extent of vulnerability and resilience to fight against Covid-19 virus in India. The vulnerability indices are constructed for the domains of hospital infrastructure, demography, housing, and health for all 36 states and union territories. An overall vulnerability index is constructed as the weighted average of domain-specific indices. The results reveal that vulnerability to coronavirus varies significantly across the states. The hospital and health vulnerabilities contribute most to the overall vulnerability in each state. As on 29 March 2021, the cumulative corona cases are the highest in Maharashtra, followed by Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. The resilience to fight against the virus is weak in India. The lockdown imposed in India has severely affected jobs and incomes. The government should enhance fiscal spending to strengthen the national resilience and administer safe vaccination program not only to stop the spread of virus but also bring life to the normal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport and geography may be considered allied and complementary disciplines. They share, variously, interests in ideological and physical spaces, political and socio-cultural processes of space- and place-making, historical dis-/continuities, individual and collective identity formation, demography and topographies and representational practices therein. Sports geography modules may, for example, be taught independently within Geography, Sport Management/Studies/Science, Urban Studies, Development or Liberal Arts programmes, or form a bridge across shared degree/honours courses as a way of attracting an interdisciplinary audience of students. Regardless of institutional "home", sports geography, affords a rich context for engaging students with critical contemporary issues, global-local analysis, and socio-cultural complexities and social justice concerns. We argue in this paper for a more pronounced place for sports geography – specifically, critical spatial studies – within Sports Management. We draw on our professional and personal experiences teaching sport and geography related courses. We contextualise the teaching of sports geography against wider Higher Education forces. Next we provide pedagogical illustrations of the benefits of a sports geography focus. We offer some recommendations and reflections. Ultimately, we advocate for improved collaboration between Sports Management and Geography fields, and call for continued scholarly and pedagogical symbiosis and play that might produce new and creative interdisciplinary inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: International and national guidelines highlight the need for general practitioner involvement during and after active cancer treatment and throughout long-term follow-up care. This paper aimed to evaluate patients' acceptance of radiation oncology shared follow-up care using the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability (TFA). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at two cancer care centres in the Illawarra Shoalhaven region of Australia. A sample of patients scheduled for a radiation oncology follow-up consultation in 2021 were sent a 32-point self-complete paper-based survey. Data were analysed using descriptive, parametric and non-parametric statistical analysis. This paper followed the Checklist for Reporting of Survey Studies (CROSS). Results: Of the 414 surveys returned (45% response rate), the acceptance for radiation oncology shared cancer follow-up care was high (80%). Patients treated with only radiotherapy were 1.7 times more likely to accept shared follow-up care than those treated with multiple modalities. Patients who preferred follow-up care for fewer than three years were 7.5 times more likely to accept shared care than those who preferred follow-up care for five years. Patients who travelled more than 20 minutes to their radiation oncologist or to the rural cancer centre were slightly more likely to accept shared care than those who travelled less than twenty minutes to the regional cancer centre. A high understanding of shared care (Intervention Coherence) and a positive feeling towards shared care (Affective Attitude) were significant predictive factors in accepting shared radiation oncology follow-up care. Conclusion: Health services need to ensure patient preferences are considered to provide patient-centred cancer follow-up care. Shared cancer follow-up care implementation should start with patients who prefer a shorter follow-up period and understand the benefits of shared care. However, patients' involvement needs to be considered alongside other clinical risk profiles and organisational factors. Future qualitative research using the TFA constructs is warranted to inform clinical practice change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citizen science, defined here as the voluntary participation of the public in scientific research, has been proposed as a method of increasing diversity in science. However, it is unknown whether citizen science participants are truly more diverse than traditional (i.e., academically trained) scientists. In this paper, we conducted a meta-analysis of citizen science participant demographics (for gender, race/ethnicity, retiree participation, age, and education) across English language peer-reviewed literature in the Web of Science (WOS) database. We collected data encompassing 151,854 unique withinproject participants from 157 projects. By pairing a subset of our data confined to North America (n = 21 projects) with geographically compared census data, we found that citizen science participants are disproportionately white and educated, with high variation in gender of participants across projects. The geographically compared results also suggested that participants are primarily adults. We then used linear modeling to explore whether project attributes, including publication year, scientific focus of the project (project focus), and whether the project is online or hands-on (project access), explain variation in demographics (n = 121 projects). We found an increase in female participation over time, while biodiversity projects had higher participation from white and retired people than health projects, and online projects had more female and educated participants than hands-on projects. However, only ~7.5% of citizen science papers we reviewed reported demographic data, suggesting a need for more representative data. This research suggests that there may be room for increased participation from groups that are currently underrepresented in citizen science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]